Don't Leave
by QueenXofXtheXDamned
Summary: N is leaving for Johto, but Black doesn't want him to go; what will the love-struck teen do? Eventual drama will ensue.
1. Don't Leave

**Don't Leave**

Black wrapped his arms tightly around his torso, trying to keep out the cold that was seeping through his thin sweater. He let out a stuttery breath and shivered as a gust of frosty wind blew past him. Why had he even come outside in the first place? There were a few snowflakes that fell slowly to the ground and landed on his face. So much had changed in such a short time. It had all happened when N had returned and Black had happened to run into him one day. His heart squeezed at the remembrance; N had asked to stay with him for awhile, just until he could find his own place. Black, being the nice person he is, agreed. But really, who could say no to N when he pleaded with those giant green puppy dog eyes? They had been living together for the past few months, but things had changed between them in that time. They had grown closer; they were friends-close friends. Black smiled faintly and wiped away a tear that had spilled over onto his cheek. It hurt to think about N. Black hated feeling this way; despised himself for the feelings he had for his closest friend. More hot tears ran down his face as he let his emotions get the better of him. He loathed himself; hated the way N made him feel. Over the time they'd gotten to know each other better, Black had found himself slowly falling for the older man. He snorted at himself and the ridiculousness of it entirely. Black was seventeen and N was twenty; it wasn't that big of an age difference, but he felt the need to find reasons to not feel this way for N. They all seemed to fall flat in comparison to his true feelings. N was too old for him; it was only by two and a half years. They were best friends; he wanted to be more. What if N didn't feel the same; he'd never know unless he tried. It was wrong in so many ways; he loved N with all his being. He loved N. Just those few words brought his life to hell. Maybe, if Black had enough time, he could tell N; he had a right to know. But it was too late; N was going to leave soon. N had announced at dinner a few nights ago that he would be moving to the Johto region to assist in a Pokémon research and rescue center. Black's heart had been shattered by the news. Johto was so far away from Unova. It was likely that they'd never see each other again and Black didn't know how to take the news. He was happy for N-really he was-but not being able to see N seemed like the worst torture imaginable. So, before he could let N see his sadness, Black had stepped outside to collect himself. Obviously, he was failing miserably as tears cascaded down his cold face, hands desperately trying to wipe them away. He stood like that for a few more minutes before he ceased his crying. There were only a couple of options for him at this point: 1) He could let N go, most likely to never see him again; 2) He could try to convince N to stay, though that was highly unlikely; or 3) Black could confess his true feelings to N. None of those options seemed very appealing, and in none of them did they guarantee that he would get to keep N. Black sighed, the cold finally getting the better of him as he went to walk the short distance back to the house. He lazily checked his watch and frowned; only a few more hours before N had to leave to catch his plane all the way to Johto. This realization seemed to shock Black. He only had a few, measly little hours left with N before he'd be gone forever. His heart clenched painfully in his chest, effectively cutting off his ability to breathe. "I-I can't just let him go without at least telling him..." he thought to himself. But if N didn't feel the same... "I'll end up losing him either way," He ran towards the house and took the porch stairs two at a time. He wrenched the door open, fire alight in his eyes. N was quietly sitting on the sofa looking at the blazing fire in the fireplace. Black tried to gather all of his courage for what he was about to do. N looked up at him and smiled warmly, causing Black to blush and smile back shyly. "Just tell him. Just tell him and get it over with." Black sat down next to N and looked the green haired man dead in the eyes. "You can't go to Johto N," His voice never wavered, despite his inner turmoil. N's eyes widened and went to ask for an explanation when Black raised his hand, cutting him off.

"I-I think, well...I love you, N."


	2. Gone

Black stayed staring at N, waiting for him to respond in some sort of way. N just kept still, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"N..." Black reached a hand out hesitantly and N flinched back, breaking out of his trance. He shook his head and scooted back away from him.

"Don't, Black. Please, just don't." The teen could feel his heart breaking in two and then being ripped out of his chest, leaving a giant hole behind.

"Wha-but, why?" There were tears in his eyes that threatened to spill over at any given time. The other male just stood up and looked away.

"Why now, Black. Why are you telling me this /now/?" N shook his head and crossed his arms. "I'm not going to stay here. You can't convince me otherwise." Black stood up and faced N, trying to look him in the eyes.

"So I take it you don't feel the same." He gave up trying to get the other to look at him and sighed. "Sorry to bring it up then." N turned around quickly on his heel and retreated to his room down the hall. Black just stood there, not knowing what else to do; he felt empty and lost. N returned with his bags in tow, dressed in a long coat, hat, and a scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Sorry Black, but I can't stay, I have to leave; this is something I have to do." He walked to the door and began to leave, but stopped and bowed his head. "I never said that I didn't love you, just that I couldn't stay." it was uttered so quietly, Black wasn't sure he had even really heard it. Maybe his mind was playing cruel tricks on him. The door slammed shut and Black fell backward onto the couch. Whether or not N _had _said anything, he was gone now. Despair hung over him in a thick cloud, suffocating him. He brought his legs to his chest and held back the urge to cry; he didn't want to feel anything. Hewanted to be numb.

"I should've gone after him," he whispered to no one. Black stayed that way for hours, even when the sun slowly began to rise and the warm beams spread through the apartment. It didn't quite feel the same without N there with him. "N..."

The green haired man would already be leaving for Johto while Black stayed here, unmoving. Stifling a yawn, he lied down on his side, still curled up on the couch. When had he gotten so tired? It wasn't of any importance; N was gone. He was really gone. That phrase repeated itself over again and again in his head. It was pure torture. Tears silently spilt over and he wrapped his arms tightly over his chest, trying to keep from breakingapart. He stayed like that until he fell asleep.A green haired man plagued his dreams.


	3. The NotSoWellThoughtOut Plan

**AN: Sorry the last chapter was so short, but I wasn't sure what to write. They'll get longer once the story picks up though, promise. And for everyone's pokémon, it'll just be based on my own pokémon so don't freak out.**

"Get your lazy ass up Black. You've been like this for three days already." Reuniclus hovered over Black, who was lying in bed and rolled over on his side. He had been like this since he'd woken up to find that N was gone. Black refused to see anyone, especially Cheren and Bianca. They had come to visit him the day before, but Black had remained still, completely devoid of any emotion and unaffected by his surrounding environment. He just kept quiet and stared off into space with a painfully blank expression. The pair had finally left him to wallow in his own crushing misery.

His pokémon had been trying to get through to the heartbroken boy, but hadn't quite gotten through to him yet. Reuniclus shook Black by the shoulder, but the only response from him was to turn the other way. This made the pokémon sigh and float beside his partner's head.

"I miss him too Black. Hell, we all do." Reuniclus saw Black slightly stir at the mention of the older man. "But N is gone, and I highly doubt he's going to come back. There's not much you can do now, though, so get up, shower, and just freakin' take care of yourself, please." Black was now facing Reuniclus fully now. "Black?" the teen sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his mattress. His eyes were focused solely on the ground, but it still gave Reuniclus hope. Slowly, Black looked up at his pokémon.

"Sorry for making you guy worry." Reuniclus sighed in relief and smiled, snuggling close to Black.

"It's ok; just don't give us anymore reasons to worry, though." Black returned the embrace, smiling smallishly. "Now go take a shower; you stink." Black giggled a bit and nodded, getting everything gathered for his shower. Samurott was just getting out of the bathtub when Black entered the bathroom and was shocked to see the human upand about.

"I see Rei got you to finally come to your senses." Black nodded and smiled shyly at the water-type. "Good. Go eat something after you're finished, you're way too skinny." leave to his pokémon to lecture him like they were his parents. But their concern warmed him from the inside out; it was a good distraction from the hole in hischest.

The hot water hit against his back in a nice spray, washing away the filth that had accumulated over the past few days. He hadn't realized just how dirty he was until the dirt and grease were no longer present on his body. After washing up, Black sat down on theshower floor, soaking up the warmth. Ever since N had left, he had perpetually felt cold; nothing could make him warm. "N," he thought. How was the other doing? He was supposed to have already started working at the Pokémon Research & Rescue facility located in Johto, were the old Safari Zone used to be. After much consideration, the Safari Zone had been closed and was turned into a Poképark for many different species of pokémon that had ended up there for various reasons. It was supposed to be a sanctuary of a sort, but also provided scientists with the many available species to study. Black sighed and brought his knees to his chest, hugging them close. He didn't want to think about N, but he couldn't help it.

The older male was probably better off without him anyway. He would be able to do what he loved most now; care for pokémon. Black liked to think that maybe, if he had gone after N that day, then perhaps he could have convinced N to stay. Or he could have gone with him. _He could have gone with him! _Why hadn't he have done that before? He sighed, turning off the water and stepping out of the tub. He dried off and dressed, sitting on the counter afterward. The thought circled around in his mind: maybe he should have gone to Johto with N instead of moping in bed.

Black jumped off the counter and ran outside where all of his pokémon were gathered. They turned to look at him and were instantly taken aback; there was a light in Black's eyes that had been missing for the past three days. "Black, what's going on?" Zekrom asked. Just an hour or so ago, he had been depressed beyond all hope, but now hewas exuding sunlight and hope.

"Get ready, 'cause we're going to Johto." they all turned to look at one another and then back to Black and yelled in happiness. Black was hopelessly hopeful, but maybe his not-so-well-thought-out plan would work. He desperately wished it would.


	4. All Aboard the SSAnne

Black was waiting outside for the ship to let on passengers as the winds picked up. It was still fairly warm and sunny out, but the ports had a tendency for moderate winds. He looked up at the huge ship that he would be boarding. It was supposed to have come all the way from the Kanto region and had made its voyage to the Unova region for the first time. S.S. Anne was written out in giant letters that were easy to see against the base color of the vessel. Black was almost giddy as the time drew closer and closer when he would be on his way to the Johto region and onward to see N. Sure, he probably could have just flew on his Zekrom Yin, but then they'd all miss out on the fun of riding on a luxury liner, and Yin would be exhausted after such a long flight.

The whistle blew, signaling for passengers to begin loading onto the boat. Black got in line and waited for his turn. A grin was plastered on his face and the man checking tickets gave him an odd look before smiling back. Black held out his ticket and the man quickly checked it.

"Cabin 244. That's located on the second floor and down the south side of the hall and it should be on your right." Black nodded and thanked the man. "Have fun." the man replied.

Black easily found his way to his cabin and let out all his pokémon. Well, not Yin or his Charizard Zuko, because they were too big and the room was way too small. He did, however, set them on his desk so they could watch from their pokéballs. Black settled into his bed, still feeling to hyped-up to rest for long. Yin and Zuko made small whining noises from inside their pokéballs and Black grabbed them and-after telling the other pokémon to stay in the room-walked to the ship's deck.

A few people were outside with their own pokémon, but it was still breezy enough to keep others inside. He released Yin and Zuko from their respective pokéballs and told them they could fly around as long as they came back before sunset, when he would return for them. Both pokémon flew off, happy to stretch and be free for bit before having to return to their pokéballs for the night. The cruise was supposed to be only a few days, four to five before it reached port in Johto. Unova was very far away from the other regions, but the ship was moving at an alarming rate. It would slow down after they began nearing the other regions, but until then, it'd be moving pretty fast. N went back to his cabin and lied down in his bed, excited about seeing the different regions and then being able to see N. He fell asleep with happy thought of the green haired man.

There was a crash and the boat lurched sideways, knocking Black off his bed and to the floor. The other pokémon woke up and wondered what had just happened. Black told them to remain in the room as he ventured out of his cabin to see what had happened. There were a few people standing out in the hallway, mumbling to themselves and one another. Black made his way past them and up onto the deck. At first he could hardly see anything due to the lack of lights and it being well into the night, but his eyes adjusted. He saw a figure flying up in the sky, moving in a winding pattern. It emitted an earsplitting roar, causing Black to clutch at his ears and double over, trying to block out the pain. The figure dropped down and crashed against the side of the ship. It was then that he saw two other figures flying; Yin and Zuko were flying around the other pokémon. Black didn't know exactly what he was seeing before it fully sank in; his pokémon were in a battle against a Rayquaza. They circled around the Rayquaza and they charged it, trying to push it away from the ship. Black couldn't even think to shout out a single command, even when Zuko and Yin had yelled at him for any sort of direction. The large dragon had crashed into the side of the ship again, knocking Black out of his trance. He began thinking of a way to stop the distressed pokémon without anyone getting hurt.

"Zuko, come here!" he shouted, then hoisted himself onto the Charizard's back. They took off into the sky after Rayquaza. "Yin, use Ancient Power! Zuko use Dragon Pulse!" They attacked simultaneously, hitting the other pokémon. It roared at them, but didn't make a move to attack in turn. Instead, it looped back around and growled lowly at Black, looking him in the eye, and then snorted as if impatient for something. Black made Zuko and Yin land on the deck and the Rayquaza followed suit, only it stayed suspended a foot or so off of the actual surface. Black slowly approached it and it hummed in the back of its throat. He looked over to Yin and Zuko, who looked suspiciously innocent, but returned his attention to Rayquaza.

"Well, puny human, it seems they were telling the truth." It lowered its head to look Black in the eyes, snorting again. "But what they failed to tell me was that it would not be a battle, but more like a beating." Rayquaza looked over at Zuko and Yin. "These two said you were a trustworthy trainer, and a powerful one at that." Black glared over at his pokémon before returning his attention back to the one in front of him. "And I was so looking forward to an actual fight." Black was still confused as to what the legendary pokémon was doing here in the first place. He voiced said thoughts, trying not to offend the dragon-type.

"If you don't mind me asking; what are you doing here and why were you attacking?" Rayquaza snorted again; it seemed to be a habit of his.

"I am here to see about having a bit of fun. And to find a possible trainer, I suppose." Black was a bit taken aback; what was he saying? Zuko and Yin approached the other two and crouched down to face Black. He looked back at them expectantly. "We may have wondered a bit too far and ran into Rayquaza." Yin stated. Black folded his arms over his chest, demanding more of an explanation. "And then we talked and told him about you. He wanted to meet you." Zuko finished. "He's been waiting for a strong enough trainer to capture him." Yin added; Rayquaza nodded and started humming again. Black looked at him in understanding. "You want me to be your trainer?" Rayquaza nodded and hovered closer to Black. "That is, if you are strong enough to capture me." Black was in disbelief, but pulled out a pokéball. "Are you sure?"

"I have been lonely for some time in my tower. I think it's time I see the world with a partner and friends." He pressed his nose to the pokéball. Black opened it, allowing Rayquaza to go inside. It moved for a few seconds, then stopped. His heart stuttered for a beat; he'd really just got a Rayquaza that easily. It was his; he had been chosen to be his trainer.

"Black released Rayquaza from his pokéball and smiled. The dragon looked down at him and waited. "Well," He peered at him with his golden eyes. "Aren't you going to name me?" Black jumped and then thought for a minute before coming up with a suitable name. "How about Akasa?" Rayquaza tilted his head. "What does that mean?" Black smiled reassuringly. "It means 'sky' in Bengali." Rayquaza thought about it for a second, them hummed again. "I suppose that will do for a proper nick name." Akasa stretched and yawned. "When shall we retire? I'm quite sleepy." Black placed the three pokémon back in their pokéballs and headed to his room.

All of the passengers had retreated back to their cabins, so the hallways were empty. Black walked quickly back to his room and sat the pokéballs down on the cushion on top of the desk. The others had woken again upon his return, curious as to what had happened. Black waved them off, telling them he would explain in the morning. Black rolled over and fell asleep, as did Rei, Ace, Reinie, Yin, Zuko, Zoroark, and Akasa.

While Black dreamed about soon arriving in the Johto region, N was lying in bed. He wondered if he had made the right choice in coming to the rescue facility. He thought about Black and the last time they had spoken and the look on his face as he walked out the door. N felt a tight clenching in his chest where his heart was. Funny, he thought that the expression "broken heart" was not to be taken literally. It still hurt, though. Maybe he should have given Black a chance, let him try to change his mind about leaving. But if Black really had meant what he said about him being in love with him, he would have gone after him. Right? And since he hadn't, then N should not dwell on thoughts of the other boy; he should forget him and focus on his work. No matter how hard he tried though, thoughts of what had happened and "what could have" or "should have" swirled around in N's restless head. At least Black still had a part of him: Zoroark. They had traded awhile back; Black got his Zoroark, N got Black's Luxray. N let said pokemon out of it's poke ball and snuggled into his fur. The Luxray purred and curled up next to his trainer as N cried for his friend.

**AN: Nothing too important this chapter besides Black going after N and capturing a Rayquaza…and finally introducing N in Johto. Review please, so I can know what you think of it. Thanks to those who've read/favorited/alerted.**


	5. A Normal Day

N's POV:

N awakened to the sound of his alarm clock. He shut it off and swung his legs over the side of his bed. There was much to be done today, and he already felt like going back to bed. N sighed, but reluctantly got up and began gathering his things and heading for the bathroom. It felt empty in his new place; it didn't quite feel like home just yet. He lived in a small house on the land surrounding the facility, just like almost every other employee, so there were always random pokémon in his house at any given time, along with his own. N had been living here for a few days short of a week and had gotten used to it, except when the Snorlaxes managed to (somehow) get inside his kitchen. The first time had freaked him out and he nearly fainted from shock. The second time was just plain...weird. So far, he had been able to avoid a third occurrence, but it was just a matter of time.

N flipped the light switch and went to turn on the water for his shower and was happily surprised to see two baby mudkip curled up on the shower floor. He didn't want to wake them, but he needed to get ready for work, so he nudged them. They woke up slowly and N picked them up and placed them on the tiled bathroom floor. They scampered off. N closed the door, finally able to take his he was finished, he dried off and quickly dressed in his uniform: white shirt, black pants and shoes, and a medium length lab coat. Even though he mostly worked outside, he was still required to wear a lab coat. It didn't make much sense, but what was he going to really do about it? Besides, it wasn't that big of a deal headed out the door after a quick breakfast and walked to the main lab just beyond the gates.

Only a few others were already there: a girl who was in charge of the Evolution Dept., a guy in charge of Pokémon Breeding, and the head professor. N clocked in and read through the status updates that were on a clipboard placed on hisdesk. He worked as an underling in both the Breeding and the Nursery Departments. He would watch the eggs and baby pokémon, keeping track of their development. The paperwork was freaking boring as could be, but the actual work was amazing. He got to take care of eggs and watch pokémon hatch, and then continue to take care of them as they grew. It was odd, he sometimes felt like a parent. But it was rewarding all the was supposed to be an eevee egg due to hatch pretty soon, and he was supposed to check up on a group of oddish, and then there were the mudkip from this morning, and the list went on. N smiled as he went to start his day for real.

**A/N: wow, haven't touched this in forever. Oh well, here's a chapter now.**


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